Afl-cio Meeting Comes To Miami Pressing An Appeal To Minorities

January 18, 2002|By Joan Fleischer Tamen Business Writer

In an outreach to minority, immigrant and youth groups, AFL-CIO union leaders will hold their annual civil rights conference in honor of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. this weekend in South Florida.

The American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is the federation of America's unions, representing more than 13 million workers nationwide in 64 unions from airline pilots to hotel workers.

About 500 union leaders will be at the Fontainebleau Hilton Hotel & Resort in Miami Beach beginning this morning for traditional union workshop sessions on politics, the economy and union organizing.

But activities such as a "hip hop" program, a voter registration drive, a visit to a homeless shelter and a demonstration on behalf of Haitian refugees are also on the agenda.

A demonstration is planned for 4:30 p.m. today in front of the Immigration Naturalization Services offices at 79th Street and Biscayne Boulevard in Miami. AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Linda Chavez-Thompson will be leading a contingent of union workers to show support for the plight of detained Haitians.

While nationwide the number of American workers who belong to a union has declined during the past two decades, in Florida the number of unionized workers is on the rise, growing more than 4 percent in the past year alone.

Historically, unions have shied away from Florida and other right-to-work states that prohibit "closed," or union-only shops because workers in those 21 states are not obligated to pay union dues, even if they are represented. But that isn't so anymore, say labor experts, as unions begin to follow jobs and shifting populations to high-growth areas.

And while union membership among white workers has declined since 1983 it is strong among black workers and is growing most rapidly among Hispanic workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Union leaders are upfront that many of this weekend's activities are specifically geared to reach out to minority, immigrant and youth groups in the hopes of increasing union membership.

"We're showing our support for the Haitian community," said AFL-CIO Vice President Clayola Brown, co-chairwoman of the federation's King Day activities. "We want stronger ties with the community and show labor's activism for human rights."

The message is from King's legacy, she said.

"Dr. King combined his love of the community with a commitment to progressive change. That's what we hope to bring to South Florida this week. We want to help the community and show people that change is possible if you organize."

Union leaders will also be meeting with community activists to kick off a voter registration drive.

"We brought the conference to Florida this year because of so much negativity tied to the election of 2000 with thousands of disenfranchised Floridians," said AFL-CIO Civil Rights Director Richard Womack.

"What happened in Florida [during the election] brought the problems with our voting system to the country's attention," he said. "And it is here that we will make a stand to fix the problems."

Joan Fleischer Tamen can be reached at jtamen@sun-sentinel.com or 305-810-5030.